The moment the door to their lodging crashed open, Go Byeonggap’s eyes snapped open. The first thing he felt as his consciousness roused was a razor-sharp killing intent. He reflexively sat up and grabbed the sword he’d left at his bedside.

He stared down the only door. Five armed spirit soldiers had entered. Through the open doorway, the sky was still dark. About an hour until dawn.

«What’s this?»

Byeonggap asked before they could speak. Then one of the spirit soldiers opened his palm. Light burst forth, illuminating the interior of the house.

Another soldier stepped forward and answered.

«What’s this? That’s what I’d like to ask! Wake those two up, now!»

He barked the order. There was no need to wake Dorma and Merilin separately. Sensing the commotion, they rose on their own.

«My Lord, what is this?»

«What’s this hooliganism? Barging in before dawn and pointing blades at your guests!»

Merilin fired off a roar first. The spirit soldier snarled back without backing down.

«Hooliganism or not, get out here now!»

«You bastards—!»

«Merilin. That’s enough.»

Byeonggap calmed her down first. He sheathed his sword and asked.

«What’s going on? Even if we have to go, shouldn’t we at least know why?»

The spirit soldier had a lot to say, but he condensed it all into a single sentence.

«Grugles are swarming in!»

«……»

Byeonggap’s group hurried to the city wall. Along the way, they pieced together the rough situation.

The gist of the matter was simple. A sizable swarm of Grugle had been spotted from the western direction — the same area Byeonggap’s group had come through.

The spirit soldiers wore expressions that practically screamed, You must have lured the Grugles here! But Go Byeonggap felt wronged.

What was he, a piper? How the hell was he supposed to summon Grugles?

When he reached the wall, the Castle Lord was already there, looking like he’d just been dragged out of bed. Fatigue and irritation twisted his features sour.

Explanations could wait. Priority was grasping the situation. Go Byeonggap climbed the wall and peered out at the wasteland beyond.

Dark, blobby masses dotted the field at sparse intervals.

‘…What the hell?’

His energy drained in a single deflating sigh. With all the fuss the spirits were kicking up, he’d assumed thousands of Grugles were bearing down on them.

But the enemy count barely touched a hundred or so. Not that it was a small number — but backed by a wall, they weren’t exactly outmatched either.

If this were Baltadren, Doran would’ve already led her guards out and cleaned them up without anyone even noticing.

Still, he couldn’t exactly turn to the dead-serious spirits and say, You made all this racket over that? Shame on you.

The smart move here was just to flex a little.

«I am in a foul mood right now.»

Castle Lord Kunta spoke through clenched rage. Whether that fury was aimed at Go Byeonggap’s party or the Grugles was anyone’s guess.

Go Byeonggap simply drew his sword.

«You think we brought them here.»

«Understand my position. You appear, and these creatures pour in from the same direction — we have no choice but to blame you.»

«Well… I’d love to argue my case, but let’s put out this fire first. We’ll handle those things ourselves. Castle Lord, just provide support from range. Your walls won’t take a scratch.»

«Ha! You think you can take all of them?»

Kunta’s tone dripped with mockery.

Go Byeonggap was brimming with confidence.

Sure, there were a few strong ones among the Grugles. But in all the ones he’d taken down so far, almost none ranked higher than B-rank.

For a bunch of low-tier monsters, he, Dorma, and Merilin were more than enough.

«Yes, actually, we’re pretty good at this. A hundred or so of those trash Grugles? Easy pickings.»

«Hahaha… hah…»

«Dorma, Merilin, let’s move. We need to strike before those things get any closer to the walls.»

«Yes, my Lord.»

«Understood.»

They headed to the edge of the wall, ready to leap straight down. But just as Go Byeonggap was about to spring, Kunta grabbed him.

«Stop!»

«…What’s wrong?»

«You think we’re making a fuss over those small fry? Don’t you see what’s out there?»

Kunta shot out his hand, pointing in one direction. Go Byeonggap looked where he indicated. There was only the darkness filling the space.

«What are you talking about? There’s nothing there.»

«Are you blind? You truly don’t see that pitch-black thing?»

«No, what do you mean? It’s dawn, so of course it’s pitch-black… What?»

His head whipped around like lightning.

The pre-dawn was murky black, as always.

Amid it, there was an area of particularly deep black. Before Kunta spoke, Byeonggap had assumed it was just a mountain ridge. No—he’d been certain it was a mountain.

But it wasn’t. That black, colossal expanse was drawing steadily closer.

«Th-that…»

His voice trembled faintly. Kunta answered in a resigned, choked voice.

«Yes. The Titan!»

* * *

‘It really is just like a mountain…’

Go Byeonggap stared, mesmerized, drinking in the Titan’s sheer scale. The creature spanned the horizon. And yet, its immensity was palpable.

It was different from hearing about it in stories. Honestly, even seeing it, he couldn’t quite believe it. It felt like a dream.

‘I’ve faced down some large-class monsters, but this is too much, isn’t it?’

Even a mid-class monster, up close, makes your jaw drop at its size. What about large-class, or super-large-class?

But even a monster with a fair bit of bulk would be treated as less than an ant next to the Titan.

‘Three hundred meters, at least.’

And even that was a conservative estimate.

Byeonggap looked back at his subordinates. Dorma and Merilin both had their faces twisted in worry. It was written all over them: ‘How the hell are we supposed to catch that?’

«M-My Lord. That is t-too dangerous… far too dangerous…»

Merilin stammered, losing her composure.

«Wh-what will you do?»

Dorma was no different. Byeonggap ground his teeth.

‘Damn it, how would I know even if you ask me? It’s ridiculously huge!’

Even as he agonized, the Titan drew nearer. The rabble Grugles were closing in too. The spirits hastily entered a battle stance.

Byeonggap spoke to Kunta.

«Didn’t you say the Titan passed by here last time too? What did you do then? This time—!»

«That’s impossible.»

Kunta cut him off flatly.

«The situation is different from last time.»

«What’s different?»

Kunta sighed and gave a brief explanation.

That time, they had spotted the Titan first from this side. Thanks to that, they were able to take measures ahead of time.

First, multiple light-spirits exchanged their lifespans for powerful blessings. They made the entire castle invisible.

Several martyrs volunteered as bait, desperately drawing the Titan’s attention.

The result was a success. The Titan passed by without noticing the castle’s existence. Of course, all the spirits playing the bait role died. The light spirits were also weakened from overexerting their power.

«It’s useless to turn invisible now. The Titan has already locked onto the castle and is closing in! …It’s over, I tell you. We’re all going to die. How the hell are we supposed to stop that thing?»

«Damn it!»

His clenched fist trembled uncontrollably.

He looked into the distance. The rising sun gradually revealed the Titan’s form more clearly.

Then came the spirits’ war cries.

«Fire! All at once!»

The spirits began conjuring and launching projectiles of all kinds—fire, lightning, ice, and more.

«Chasing you lot out now won’t make them turn back. And blaming you will only sour my own guts! Aigo! Aigo!»

Kunta left those words behind and went to the soldiers. Despite claiming they were all dead men, his despair didn’t stop him from commanding the troops with fervor.

At that moment, Merilin approached close to Go Byeonggap and whispered.

«My Lord, you must flee.»

«…What?»

«The situation here is dire, but I believe it’s beyond our ability to handle. With My Lord’s automobile, you can escape that Titan.»

Go Byeonggap couldn’t answer easily. His lips were so parched he had to moisten them several times.

Merilin studied his expression and whispered again.

«My Lord, this isn’t our fault. There’s no evidence we summoned those things. There’s no need to feel guilty. And besides… My Lord still has work to do. Forgive my boldness, but I don’t believe this is where your life should be spent in vain.»

Her words hit the mark completely.

How many lives were actually left hanging around Go Byeonggap’s neck? If he thought coldly, retreat was the most rational option in every way.

But…

‘Just abandon the spirits and run, leaving all those struggling desperate people behind?’

That was something his moral compass refused to accept. Righteousness was never always rational.

Go Byeonggap shook his head.

«I can’t just run away alone.»

«But, My Lord!»

«Enough. Say no more, Merilin.»

«……»

«My Lord, do you have another plan?»

«Let me… let me think.»

‘As I thought… is there no choice but to use a soul-type item?’

The only idea that came to mind was to buy a soul-type product from the Ancient Shop for 700,000 crystals.

If he consumed a soul, he could gain tremendous power for a short time. And with that power, he might just be able to take down that colossal monster.

‘Fuck—the best I can come up with is borrowing someone else’s power? Is this what I’ve become, some dependent fool?’

But Soul-series goods carried heavy risks.

He wasn’t talking about the aftereffects that came once the duration expired.

From the moment you took a soul, you had to wage a battle of identity against some ancient wraith. And holding onto your own self grew harder the more often you used them.

‘Maybe I’ll get lucky and hold out again this time. But am I going to gamble ownership of my body every damn crisis? And if I lose it for real? By then, even beating the ground and regretting it’d be too late.’

He couldn’t lean on easy power forever.

Whether she knew his troubled mind or not, Merilin spoke as if she found his hesitation frustrating.

«I know this is rude, but I must speak! I understand our Lord has a gentle nature. But an Emperor cannot burn only like fire. There are times he must be cold as ice!»

«…….»

«How do you mean to assault that mountain of a thing without a single siege weapon? Please, listen to me just this once. I’ll gladly accept punishment for my impertinence once we’re out of here!»

Merilin’s shoulders trembled. Her plea rang with sincerity.

Go Byeonggap stood blank for a few seconds, then let out a wry grin. Seeing his smile, Merilin looked like she might die from exasperation.

«Why… why are you laughing?»

«You helped me find it. Thanks, Merilin.»

«Huh? Find—find what?»

«How a lesser creature fights a mountain.»

The moment the thought came, Go Byeonggap acted on it.

* * *

«When I give the signal, please move without delay.»

«…Understood. May you fight well.»

«Let’s go.»

Go Byeonggap and his party dropped from the wall. They tore across the ground with ferocious speed.

Swarms of Grugle latched onto them like fiends, but they pushed through, ignoring them. No time to deal with such small fry.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The ground trembled with every step the Titan took. It was close now—mere minutes from reaching the fortress.

The closer they got to the thing, the stiffer his neck grew.

They closed to within a hundred meters of the Titan. Byeonggap fired a single sword aura as a test.

The crescent slash struck the Titan’s knee dead-on. Rotting flesh spattered down with a heavy impact sound. But the Titan didn’t even flinch.

‘I’d need a hundred hits just to nick it.’

Its absurdly massive frame had him utterly cowed.

«Watch out!»

Dorma shrieked. The sky went dark, and then the Titan’s foot came crashing down.

They scattered fast, dodging clear.

«Climb!»

«Yes, sir!»

The three of them started climbing up the Titan’s leg right after. It was Dorma’s magic that let them move with the grace of spider-men.

Past the calf and thigh, over the hip, then across a chest as vast as an ocean until they reached the collarbone.

«Huff, huff!»

Breath came ragged, but there was no time to rest. They leaped as one. Go Byeonggap and Merilin found purchase on each cheek, while Dorma stood balanced on the ridge of the nose.

“Uwooo―!”

The Titan’s roar nearly deafened them. Go Byeonggap twisted his face into a scowl and gripped his sword tight, dredging up every scrap of internal energy he had.

«Merilin, let’s go!»

«Understood! Hyaaah!»

«Haaah!»

Go Byeonggap and Merilin drove their swords into the Titan’s cheeks and charged across its face.

In no time at all, the cheeks split open and the bastard’s lower jaw sagged. It stood there with its mouth hanging open like a fool.

“Uwoooooo!”

The Titan went berserk, of course. They had to fight with everything they had not to be thrown off.

«Dorma!»

«Got it!»

At Go Byeonggap’s shout, Dorma sprang into action.

The objects floating behind Dorma’s back all shot straight into the Titan’s maw.

«You like to eat, don’t you? Then eat your fill!»

What he’d poured into the Titan’s mouth was the gasoline they’d packed for this trip.

Forty-liter cans—ten of them in total!

«Hap!»

Dorma finished it off by firing a volley of dark thorns. The cans ripped apart, spilling gasoline everywhere.

«All done!»

«Good! Everyone, get as far away as possible!»

«Yes!»

Dorma and Merilin quickly descended to the ground. Before following them, Go Byeonggap fired a mass of internal energy toward the sky.

Boom!

The mass exploded like fireworks. He’d sent a signal to the spirits.

The moment the signal went out, he tore himself away from the Titan without a backward glance.

Whump!

“Ow…”

He barely made it to the ground. With no time to soothe his trembling legs, he ran for his life again. He didn’t want to be crushed under the Titan’s rolling foot.

In his flight, he glanced back.

Dozens of streaks of fire were hurtling toward the Titan’s face.

“Boom.”

A few seconds later. A pillar of flame erupted from the Titan’s maw.